big road graders

I know there is a small but interested group of people here who would like to attend the Minnesota game; some, like me, live nearby. Others would like to travel. Both participants have a bye this weekend, so all of the season data is in; both teams lost unpleasantly last weekend, so we should have a good idea of where the market is going.

And the market looks favorable for Michigan fans who want to buy tickets. Right after the two finals came in, a few sellers jumped onto stubhub with tickets less than $60, which was previously the floor for non-student tickets. There is now a small but consistent group of tickets in the $50s, with many, many tickets in the $60s and above. It looks like some fans are looking to dump.

There was a period where some tickets were available from the Minnesota AD website for $60, but right now the lowest face price is $70 for the same seats. Barring a late price break prior to the game (not inconceivable, it happened in 2012) there will be plenty of face value tickets available from the department website. Huge swaths of upper corner seats remain unsold; there is virtually no chance that this game will sell out. Also, last I checked, there are some seats available in pairs in the lower second-deck corners, which at TCF is pretty close to the field.

Since those upper corners promise to be available at face, a buyer who is fine with upper corner seats as long as they get in the stadium should wait on buying a corner ticket above row 20 until they find a price substantially below face value. There are already tickets moving below the cheapest face prices; the glut of stock available at $60 means that there is a good chance that prices will drive downward as people with tickets that don't want to go anxiously drop their prices to get a sale.

My worst-case scenario is a pair at face value in a corner, not an unacceptable proposition; I know I'll be able to get in. Knowing this, I am waiting patiently for either a considerably better price (say, $40) or a nicer location.